


If you have the patience and stubbornness of an ox, even rusted metal can be forged into steel

by Writing_in_SIN



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Families of Choice, GinHiji - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Monthly updates, Slow Burn, Ushikata, Year of the Ox, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:53:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writing_in_SIN/pseuds/Writing_in_SIN
Summary: In all of his years as an ushi-oni, it's the first time anyone's stepped onto the shrine grounds and offered him mayonnaise in exchange for strawberry milk and adzuki beans.It's also the first time in his life where Toushirou actually wants to strangle someone on sight.
Relationships: Hijikata Toshirou/Sakata Gintoki
Comments: 20
Kudos: 74





	If you have the patience and stubbornness of an ox, even rusted metal can be forged into steel

**Author's Note:**

> If you like, come scream at me on [Tumblr](https://writing-in-sin.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Writing_in_SIN)
> 
> __________
> 
> NOTES: 
> 
> Ushi-Oni: (牛鬼, Ushi-Oni), or Gyūki, is a creature which appears in the folklore of Japan. There are various kinds of ushi-oni, all of them some sort of monster with a horned, bovine head. 
> 
> Kudan: they are prophetic creatures and according to the most widespread interpretation from the Edo period, it is described as a creature which—despite being born from a cow—has the ability to use human speech. It takes the form of baby cows with human faces. The creatures invariably die just a few short days after their birth, yet in that time they are said to coincide with some major event and are also said to issue prophecies of things to come. The content of their prophecies varies. Some kudan have spoken of great harvests or terrible famines, some have foretold plagues and droughts, while others have predicted wars. The prediction of a kudan never fails to come true. Upon delivering its prophecy, a kudan immediately dies. Despite this, pictures and talismans of the kudan are still seen as good luck charms due to their association with honesty.

* * *

_Suffer! A bastard child borne out of a filthy union between those two! I curse you!_

_**I CURSE YOU!** _

Gasping awake, Toushirou blinks up in the dark at the worn ceiling of the shrine. For a long moment, he stays prone on his aged old futon as his instincts tell him to keep very, very still. He focuses on breathing— the room smells are of familiar old, sun-warmed wood, and of the scent of winters fast approaching.

He's in the present, not back in the past of fire and scorn.

Once his heart calms and falls back to a normal rhythm, Toushirou slowly rises up with a sigh. Carefully rubbing his forehead with a claw, he slides out and pads his way across the wooden floor.

Knowing that he won't get any sleep now, Toushirou decides that perhaps it's best to tend to the gardens to keep himself busy.

With a sigh, he ties his long hair back into its customary ponytail, covers himself with layers of scarves and a worn haori then slips into his wooden geta before grabbing the basket by the shrine back entrance on his way out. A quick glance at the half-hidden moon shows him that it should be around one in the morning, causing him to frown in annoyance. That means it'll take him a while to tire out and rest. Well, it's not anything new for him but it's still quite a bit of an inconvenience.

Something cracks in the cool autumn wind.

Toushirou frowns, long ears twitching and looks around the garden. At first, he checks the shrine's sacred tree and the straw doll pinned to it.

When he finds nothing amiss, Toushirou puts down the basket and walks around the shrine, tail swaying behind him in curiosity when he realises that it's the muffled sound of sandals on dried leaves. He closes his eyes, letting the wind dance around him, feeling the subtle pull of the shrine's barrier shimmering at the additional presence only allowed within the short hours where the line between the near and far shore blurs into nothing. Then he opens them and jumps over to perch on the roof to investigate the unexpected visit.

A figure bows before the old torii gate, keeping to the side of the path instead of the center as he passes the threshold, a custom of old since the middle of the path is for those within the hidden realm to walk. The figure offers a prayer, ringing the bell, bowing twice and clapping twice more.

A sudden wind blows harshly and whips around him as the clouds shift above, revealing the faint glow of the full moon above and chasing away the shadows across the shrine courtyard to reveal his unexpected visitor.

Silver shines in the moonlight.

Capturing and reflecting the clean, clear light, a human that looks to be in the cusp of adulthood stands in the courtyard with a head of silver curls and gleaming red eyes. The human appears unnaturally pale as he glances nervously around the courtyard, shaking like a leaf in obvious fear.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," the human mutters, loud enough for his ears to easily pick up, clutching the bokuto strapped to his side in a white-knuckled grip while his other hand holds onto a bottle of mayonnaise as he cautiously tiptoes back to the offering box. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

Oh, an offering then.

Toushirou can't really recall anymore when or how it began but he thinks the whole practice in offering mayonnaise to him might've been something because of his brother or sister-in-law whenever they visited outside of the shrine grounds when he'd been assumed dead and the shrine's torii gate became something of a gravemarker for him.

Honestly, he thought the practice of offering mayonnaise to his supposed grave would've died out the moment his brother and sister-in-law passed away but surprisingly, their descendants have faithfully continued the practice even after decades since the couple's death. The fact that the practice has somehow morphed into an offering for safe passage to the ushi-oni or that it caught on within the village and travellers is a surprise but...not entirely an unwelcome one, he admits.

Still, having a visitor _this_ jumpy will only invite trouble if the wisping shadows edging closer is anything to go by.

Ugh, _this_ is why he'd rather be asleep around these hours— he _hates_ being reminded that he's sharing space with g-ghosts around this time of night.

"There's no such thing as ghost, lalala~!"

And the dumbass is _still_ muttering (singing? Is that the Doraemon theme?) the same thing over and over again to himself, oblivious of the target he's practically painting on his back.

Annoyed and scared (just a bit, okay!?), Toushirou quickly jumps off from his perch to drop kick the idiotic human on his head.

"Would you shut up already, ya asshole!?" he shrieks, landing on the ground besides the hunched over human and darts a nervous glance at the shadows as it slowly creeps back. Relieved that a crisis has been safely averted, he turns to scold the bewildered human. "Don't you know that if you keep saying that kind of crap, you'll just invite those g-ghosts _in_ here!"

The human stares at him, pale and still, (long enough to make him feel a bit worried) before letting out an unholy scream.

"GYAAAAAAA—!"

And without meaning to, Toushirou screams right back.

A bokuto flies towards his throat and he avoids it only to stumble onto his back when a foot sweeps under him, and in the space of a breath, a beat— the human leaps, powerful muscles tense and rippling under the kimono like a cornered tiger baring his fangs.

Rolling to the side and into a crouch, Toushirou cautiously watches as the human yanks his bokuto from the cobbled stone at where his head was supposed to be and turns fathomless red eyes to him.

' _Demon eyes,'_ Toushirou thinks faintly with a grin, a thrill chasing down his spine. ' _He has eyes of a demon like me_.'

The human rushes towards him again and Toushirou jumps to meet him halfway, catching the bokuto with a hand and barely dodging the punch to the abdomen.

A veteran— the movements are too experienced to be anything but.

The thought stings, seeing how young the human is and even if he's confined within the shrine grounds all these years, Toushirou unfortunately knows the effects of war and has grown sick and tired of it as well as all the victims it has taken.

Right then.

Tail snapping out, he yanks the human by the leg and using the momentum, headbutts the perm and quickly pins him down against the ground. It proves to be a struggle though, since the human has such immense strength that it's honestly surprising the perm is even human at all.

"Begone ghost!" said human rumbles, glaring up at him despite being white as a sheet and trying to make a sad attempt of a hand sign.

"W-where!?" Toushirou yelps despite himself, leaping onto his feet and spinning around in place with his claws up and ready before his brain finally kicks in to then swivel back to the crouching perm with a hiss and a bonk to that head of silver curls. "I'm not a g-ghost, ya damn bastard!"

The perm yelps, holding his head before snapping up to gape at him.

"Wha— you're _solid._ " An accusing finger points to him as the human scowls at him. "Wait, so you're _not_ a g-ghost?"

"I just said so, didn't I?" Toushirou grumbles, hands on his hips and raises a questioning brow. "Whaddaya want?"

Red eyes peer up at him. "Eh?"

"You came here for a reason right?" he clarifies with a sigh, picking up the discarded bottle of mayonnaise with a worried frown. Finding the divine condiment unharmed, Toushirou gives it a light shake as he addresses the human. "It's why you brought me an offering."

"No way, it actually worked?" Brows rising incredulously, the perm squints at him. "You're really the ushi-oni that guards this forest?"

_**I CURSE YOU!** _

"...more or less." Shaking away the dredges of the aged old nightmare, Toushirou crosses his arms. "So, whaddaya want?"

"Strawberry milk and adzuki beans," comes the prompt answer, the human's face settling into a slack expression, complete with dead-fish eyes.

The sight of it makes his hackles rise, feeling inexplicability irritated for some reason.

"...what?" he growls out, tail snapping behind him to reflect his souring mood.

But the bastard takes no heed at his irritation and rises to his feet, dusting off the dirt of his dark kimono.

"Oh, and directions to Edo 'cause I'm pretty much lost and the gorilla from a nearby dojo said that I need to offer this shit—"

"Apologise to mayonnaise right now or it's seppuku for ya, bastard."

"— at this shrine on the Hour of the Ox to be granted safe passage," the human finishes blithely, ignoring his threat with frustrating ease before shoving a pinky into his ear whilst giving him a bored stare. "So here I am, dumbass."

Toushirou weighs the pros and cons in skewering the moron with his horns and cleaning up a corpse at one morning before grudgingly deciding that it ain't worth trouble. Clicking his tongue, he levels a glare at the annoying perm.

"You're aggravating, y'know that?" He jerks his head to the shrine. "C'mon."

The sooner this human leaves, the better.

Not waiting for a response, Toushirou walks up the wooden steps to grab a worn piece of paper to scrawl down a simple map. When he hears the aged wood creaking as the perm joins him by the steps, Toushirou slides the map towards the perm.

"Here." Leaning over, he trails a finger and lights it up to leave a trail leading to a graveyard. He ignores the startled yelp from the human, brows furrowing when his intuition begins to stir. "This is the safest and quickest route to Edo. But..."

His eyes track back to a few towns before the graveyard.

A forkroad. A choice. A new chapter of life waiting to unfold.

However—

The human glances up at him, mildly curious at his hesitation. "What?"

"This path." He points to a road that will lead the human to a nearby port village. "It might bring you pain."

The human chuckles, bitter and hollow. "You a kudan?"

Toushirou frowns, thoughtful. The moonlight casts shadows onto the human's deceptively slacken features and once again, it strikes him on how haunted this human looks despite his young age. Idly, he wonders if the human really is a veteran forged from the fires of the Joui war and while curious, he knows it's not his right to ask.

"I wouldn't still be alive talking to you if I was a kudan," he mutters, returning his attention down onto the map and allows a shudder to run through him as he glares at the wisping shadows from the corner of his eye. "Still, I can't blame you for that assumption since bovines have a strong connection to the supernatural."

"Probably why this hour is named after the ox," the human comments, cautiously following his line of sight and pales at what he sees before edging closer to him with a nervous cough. Huh, it seems like this dumbass has the sixth sense. "Sounds rough though."

Studiously ignoring the shadows after decades of practice, Toushirou taps the map with a clawed finger. "Anyways, it's the route here you need to be cautious of but ultimately, it's up to you."

"Got it, uh..."

"What now?" he grumbles, leaning back to rest against the beam behind him.

The human gives him a curious once over. "Do you have a name or should I just call you ushioni-kun?"

Right, they never introduced themselves did they? But well, even though they'll never see each other again after this, he _was_ raised with manners after all.

"It's Toushirou," he relents eventually, dipping his head slightly in greeting

"I'm Gintoki," the human offers back, sliding the map into the folds of his kimono. "So where's my strawberry milk?"

His brow twitches at that. "As if I'd have that here."

The idiot has the gall to look affronted at his answer.

"That's a ripoff, oi!" the hu— Gintoki snaps out before crossing his arms over a broad chest with a huff. "Fine. Then I want adzuki beans! It's only fair since I brought you this mayo crap after all."

"How about I curse you instead, dumbass!?" Baring his fangs, he's about to strangle this annoying perm before he pauses when a thought crosses his mind. "Actually, hold on."

Quickly slipping into the shrine, Toushirou grabs a cloth bag full of sweets and other treats he received from passersby and settles back down across from Gintoki. Since it seems like the human has a sweet-tooth then it's a good opportunity as any to give away any offerings before they rot. Too many times he had to throw out perfectly good food because he couldn't really stomach it.

Gintoki peeks into the bag when he offers it to the perm. "These are…"

"I get all sorts of offerings besides mayo but I don't like sweet things very much so you can have 'em," he explains, watching in grudging amusement as Gintoki lights up like a child at the treats.

Well, at least the food will go to someone who'll appreciate it properly.

"Well, don't mind if I do." Securing the bag over his shoulder, Gintoki stands to stare up at the moon for a long moment before turning away to smirk at him. "Then, I best be off."

The moonlight reflects off silver curls and he watches how the light blends easily around Gintoki not unlike a halo as the human walks towards the old torii gate— majestic and unyielding.

However.

_Swords. Blood. Screams._

_So, so much death._

In that brief scuffle because of the scare they had, he was left with such impressions. More than that, there's a cloak of sadness... _grief_ , perhaps, surrounding the human so heavily that it marvels him at how Gintoki hasn't suffocated from it. Despite how young he seems, those red eyes are fathomless, worn on a face that's too world weary.

It makes the human look so unbearably cold and alone.

"Wait."

His geta claps softly against the stone path as Toushirou shuffles closer to the human and tugs off one of the scarves around his neck. While he has to stand on his toes a bit since Gintoki's a few inches taller than he is, Toushirou carefully winds the scarf around Gintoki's shoulders. Dimly, he takes note that the human is alarmingly still at his close proximity, so Toushirou does his best to finish his task quickly while deftly pushing away images of blood and death when his fingers brush against a pale neck.

Once secured, Toushirou takes a step back and clears his throat as he tugs the remaining scarf over his mouth. "Safe travels, Gintoki."

Gintoki remains still for a beat longer before finally relaxing. His gaze is blank and a little lost but there's a smile on his lips when the human looks at him, brittle and empty in equal measure.

"Thanks, Toushirou."

There's something painfully wry in Gintoki's voice— like he's laughing at the world but, most of all, like he's laughing at himself.

Oh.

He feels an itch at the back of his throat as Gintoki's eyes waver, and Toushirou can finally pinpoint the look in the eyes of a man who's gazing at a far-away something.

A soul is crying out.

His heart beating fast, Toushirou reaches out to grasp on a sleeve of Gintoki's kimono before he can stop himself, everything in him saying - everything in Gintoki's expression is saying - to touch, to comfort, even though he hardly knows _why._

Red eyes are unreadable when Gintoki looks down at him, waiting.

Words form and die on his tongue as the wind rustles, filling the space and how Toushirou wishes he's more eloquent, more wise to reflect the years he's lived. But he is young still despite the long years, and perhaps in the face of heartbreaking weariness, that's not such a terrible thing right now.

"May your days be merciful from now on," he whispers eventually around a dry throat, hushed and hopeful like a prayer.

Toushirou is no kudan but even so, he hopes his words can be of some worth— can be an eventual truth for this world weary human.

For a stricken moment, Gintoki's expression stutters before he lifts his free hand and, slowly, he touches a long lock of hair on the side of Toushirou's face that must've escaped from his ponytail because of their brief scuffle. It's the first time Gintoki has touched him since the human stumbled onto the shrine and he holds his stare as Gintoki carefully tucks the hair behind Toushirou's drooping ear.

"Yeah," the human whispers back, a little helplessly.

The smile Gintoki gives him this time though is a small, tremulous thing but it's genuine and maybe—

The human seems to hesitate before gently slipping out of his hold and Toushirou watches as Gintoki disappears through the torii gate and into an uncertain future with shoulders set and eyes wide open even within the darkness.

Maybe that's enough.


End file.
